Grow Alabama's Homewood crisis may be solved through Facebook initiative

Produce, like these tomatoes from Jenkins Farm near Steele, Ala., are the kind of fresh fruits and vegetables Grow Alabama aims to carry at its Farmhouse Grow Alabama locations. (file)

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – After a failed business deal caused Grow Alabama to lose its $13,000 investment and its Homewood location, the founder and chief executive of the farmer-to-table organization didn't know where to turn.

So Jerry Spencer took to Facebook to ask supporters for help. And they responded.

"I really hate to ask people I don't know personally for money," Spencer said in an interview. "In fact, I've never asked anybody for money."

But a dispute between a previous produce stand owner and the landlord at 2510 18th Street South in Homewood revealed unpaid rents and the property owner's plans to do something different with the site left Grow Alabama out of its $13,000 investment in improvements and equipment.

Grow Alabama and the Grow Alabama Foundation network with farmers throughout the state to get fresh fruit and vegetables to Alabamians' tables. Its Farmhouse Grow Alabama initiative aims to have fruit stands that make the produce even more accessible and the Homewood location was to set that effort into motion.

To keep Grow Alabama's Farmhouse Grow Alabama initiative going, Spencer needed to come up with $10,000 to set up another site and maintain the company's distribution operations. That's when Spencer said his heart led him to ask those who were already supportive of Grow Alabama's efforts – the customers, farmers and Facebook fans – for help.

"The last few weeks have been some of the most difficult of my life," Spencer wrote on Grow Alabama's Facebook page May 8. "And that's why you haven't heard from me. In the uncertainty of 'yes/no,' 'go/stop,' 'this/that,' 'chocolate or vanilla' I just couldn't bring myself to communicate in that state of being."

Spencer explained what had happened on Facebook.

"In the middle of February, having invested our meager capital in preparing, equipping, manning and stocking our new operation in Homewood, I found out that our lease was invalid because the person I bought the business from had not paid his rent for several months," Spencer claimed in his Facebook message. "And the owner of the property decided he wanted it for his own business. We had to move at a total loss."

A representative of the property owner confirmed that Grow Alabama had an unsupported deal with the previous tenant, not with the owner. The property is now listed for sale or development.

Spencer said he will seek to recover $10,000 in small claims court and will relocate the equipment and some of the infrastructure to a new location he has already identified near Vulcan. Grow Alabama is also securing a site on Green Springs Highway for its central distribution.

However, any legal remedy could take time and Spencer needed to raise $10,000 fast to keep the dream from crashing this growing season. That's when he thought to ask Facebook followers for cash.

"It was about my last option," Spencer said.

On the Facebook page, Spencer asked for one-year loans of between $500 and $5000, offering 20 percent interest.

As of Monday, Spencer had raised nearly $8,000.

Most of the loans are in the $1,000 to $2,000 range, Spencer said. There have been several $500 loans, he said.

In addition to a promissory note for repayment with interest, Spencer is giving everyone who provided a loan a card entitling them to between 10 and 20 percent off their future Grow Alabama purchases.

It has Spencer looking ahead to growing the Farmhouse Grow Alabama locations. The produce stands will sell fruits and vegetables along with canned goods and fresh breads. The stands will favor local farmers, sustainable growers and organic growers but will also have out-of-state staples like bananas and pineapples.